Free Republic

Mexico's easier permit process allowed San Diego-based Sempra Energy to get a head start over those considering plants in California. By Gary Polakovic, Times Staff Writer October 9, 2006 In the high-stakes competition to import natural gas from across the Pacific to California, one San Diego-based company has such a commanding head start that it could determine whether others can stay in the race. Being the first to open a marine terminal to process liquefied natural gas on the West Coast involves more than bragging rights. International companies are spending millions to get permits to build giant terminals in hopes...

As Sempra Energy broke ground on its $800 million liquefied natural gas receiving terminal in Baja California this week, the state's legislature launched an official inquiry into the project. The investigation, which began yesterday, is led by Guillermo Aldrete Hass, the leader of the legislature's foreign affairs committee. He said he will ask federal officials to suspend the permits for the project while the investigation continues and legal challenges remain unresolved. "There hasn't been transparency from the beginning to the end," Aldrete said. "We want to know the economic and environmental impacts – both negative and positive." Of particular concern,...